Military History

The Gateway City has a storied military history including playing a role in a Revolutionary War battle on the banks of the Mississippi and serving as the departure point for the first Army Corps of Engineer’s river expedition with captains Lewis & Clark. Most of the generals on both sides of the Civil War served at St. Louis’ Jefferson Barracks, including long time St. Louis residents U.S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman. Take a self-guided tour of historic military sites related to St. Louis’ role in the Civil War.

From the World Wars to the modern military, St. Louis is filled with monuments and historic sites honoring our nation’s military men and women. Some attractions of interest for military groups include: the General Daniel Bissell House; Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site; Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum; Soldiers Memorial Military Museum; James S. McDonnell Prologue Room; and the Museum of Transportation.

Historic Bellefontaine and Calvary cemeteries are the final resting places for such illustrious citizens as explorer William Clark; Edward Bates, U.S. Attorney General under Abraham Lincoln; Major General Don Carlos Buell, who led Federal troops in the battle of Shiloh; and General William Tecumseh Sherman.